Extra 3

Extra 3
When Emma heard Eda's response, she didn't bring up Horacio again. They had breakfast together, and on their way to sign the apartment sale, Eda felt she had been quite abrupt with her answer.

"I want to apologize if I was a bit harsh when I responded about Horacio," she said as the car stopped at a traffic light. Emma smiled and shook her head.

"It's okay, don't worry," she said, then looked out the window while her hand gently stroked her large belly. She felt quite tired, and a headache began to form, something unusual. "After the signing," she started to say as the light turned green, "could you take me to the doctor?" Eda became alert.

"Why? Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Emma quickly shook her head, swearing she would take out her phone and call Max at any moment to inform him. The last thing she wanted was to alarm them over something that might be nothing.

"I just want to talk to her about the birth, make sure everything is okay. You know, nine months now, and they say it could happen any time."

"Oh, yes, I read something like that. Sure, we'll go right after."

They arrived at the building where Emma's apartment was, the one she had finally sold after so many months. The signing would take place right there with her real estate agent. The elegant man waiting outside the apartment made them stop.

"Good morning," said the man.

"Good morning," Emma and Eda said simultaneously.

"Come in, miss, they're waiting for you." Emma walked in, with Eda following her. When they entered the apartment, it was as immaculate as the last time Emma had seen it. The agent smiled broadly when he saw her.

"Miss Spencer!" He then raised his eyebrows in surprise at her large belly, which she covered with her coat. "Congratulations, future mom!"

"Thank you, Thomas," Emma smiled, shaking his hand and then exchanging kisses on each cheek. "This is my sister-in-law, Eda Müller." They greeted each other.

"The buyer will be here soon. Would you like something to drink before the signing?" Thomas asked. Both women declined.

"We just had breakfast. Thank you."

"Good, same here," Thomas smiled. "Let me tell you, the buyer is completely satisfied with the apartment. They loved the closet expansion."

"That's great," Emma said, smiling. She placed her hand on her belly and gently stroked it. "A pretty good idea..."

"Good morning," a voice said behind them. When they turned around, Emma tensed upon seeing the woman hanging on the arm of the elegant man.

"Good morning, come in, welcome back. The owner of the apartment is here and..." Thomas smiled. "I have the papers for the sale."

"Wait, she's the buyer?" Emma asked, sounding surprised. Thomas tensed up at Emma's reaction.

"Yes," Thomas stammered. "Is something wrong?" Emma shot a look at the woman walking through the door.

"Weren't you planning to disappear from my life for good?" Emma blurted out, starting to get angry. She clutched the coat covering her swollen belly as if she wanted to hide it from view.

"That's rude, miss," said the man with a British accent. "That's not..." Emma interrupted him.

"Don't give me that..." Emma's vision began to blur. She quickly shook her head, and Eda immediately moved to her side. Elaine became alarmed and approached quickly, with Stan right behind her.
"What’s wrong? Is it the baby?" Elaine asked immediately.

"Leave me alone," Emma replied, trying to put some distance between them, but it only worsened her vision. She felt like her head was going to explode at any moment. "Oh my God," she groaned.

"What's wrong? Do you feel sick? Tell me, talk," Eda asked, starting to get scared.

"My vision is blurry," Emma said, fearing something was wrong. Stan was already on the phone calling for an ambulance, and Thomas was beside Emma, holding her arm to help her sit down, but she didn’t want to. She was so overwhelmed by what she was feeling, fearing again that something was wrong with the baby, but in reality, it was her who wasn’t okay.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped her. She could faintly hear her name and the terror in their voices.

The beeping of the machines in the distance was what pulled her out of the darkness she was wrapped in. The pain had gone, and her mouth felt completely dry; she needed water. When she opened her eyes, the light in the room was dim, which was pleasant. There was no one around, but she noticed she was connected to several machines on the sides of the bed. She carefully placed her hand on her belly, then closed her eyes, feeling drowsy and tired. The door opened, and the large figure of Max appeared, his face showing deep concern. Emma opened her eyes and smiled weakly. He felt immense relief seeing she had finally woken up.

"My love," Max whispered, approaching her side. He kissed her forehead and then her lips, making her smile more.

"Hi, darling," she whispered.

"How do you feel?" he asked, leaving a couple of kisses on her knuckles, careful not to dislodge the catheter on her hand.

"Fine. What happened?" she asked, then remembered. "I saw my mother. She was the buyer of my apartment."

"I know. Eda told me," he said, pausing briefly. "The important thing right now is you and our baby girl." He kissed her knuckles again and then looked at Emma. "The doctor has already given a diagnosis."

"Diagnosis?" Emma asked. "What is it?" she wanted to know.

"You have high blood pressure, slightly elevated protein in your urine, and Eda said you had blurry vision, which I told the doctor. He says it's the beginning of preeclampsia."

"What?" Emma feared.

"But the doctor said preeclampsia resolves after the baby is born and the placenta is removed. If it becomes severe, they’ll have to give you antihypertensive medication to lower your blood pressure. But don’t worry, the doctor says we can manage it from now on. So, you need to stay calm. And there's something else," Max said. "Elaine wants to talk to you. I’ve told her repeatedly that it’s not possible, especially in your condition, but she’s still waiting outside the room."

"I want to talk to her."

"Did you hear that you need to stay calm?" Max asked.

"I’m calm right now. I can talk to her."

"I don’t want your conversation to cause any stress. Your health and our baby’s health come first."

"I want to talk to her, please. I want to know why she came back when she promised to disappear from my life."